Translated from Roman scroll
dated 1BC
Dear Cassius:
Are you still working on the Y Zero K problem?
This change from BC to AD is giving us a lot of headaches and we haven't
much time left. I don't know how people will cope with working the wrong
way around. Having been working happily downwards forever, now we have to
start thinking upwards.
You would think that someone would have thought of it earlier and not left
it to us to sort it all out at this last minute.
I spoke to Caesar the other evening. He was livid that Julius hadn't done
something about it when he was sorting out the calendar. He said he could
see why Brutus turned nasty. We called in Consultus, but he simply said
that continuing downwards using minus BC won't work and as usual charged a
fortune for doing nothing useful. Surely we will not have to throw out all
our hardware and start again? Macrohard will ake yet another fortune out of
this I suppose.
The money lenders are paranoid of course! They have been told that all
usury rates will invert and they will have to pay their clients to take out
loans. It's an ill wind ......
As for myself, I just can't see the sand in an hourglass flowing upwards.
We have heard that there are three wise men in the East who have been
working on the problem, but unfortunately they won't arrive until it's all
over.
I have heard that there are plans to stable all horses at midnight at the
turn of the year as there are fears that they will stop and try to run
backwards, causing immense damage to chariots and possible loss of life.
Some say the world will cease to exist at the moment of transition.
Anyway, we are still continuing to work on this blasted Y zero K
problem. I will send a parchment to you if anything further develops.
If you have any ideas please let me know,
Plutonius